The Tapel Massacre

The Tapel Massacre was perpetuated by fleeing Japanese soldiers who chanced upon a group of civilians in Tapel, Gonzaga Cagayan Province on or about July 1 1945. Pedro Cerono found the remains of the unarmed civilians who were brutally tortured and killed. Not much is known about their identities as there were still many civilians missing during that time.

A bridge near Tapel, Gonzaga Cagayan Province, Luzon, Philippines, where eight people were reported to have been killed by the Japanese on or about July 1, 1945.

Pedro Cerono, holds a clump of hair that he lifted from one of the eight skulls, belonging to a woman.

Pedro Cerono, the man who discovered the group of eight skulls. This photograph was taken in Tapel, Cagayan Province, Luzon, Philippine Islands. This photograph was taken by Lewis D. Klein on November 23, 1945.